Dear ,

Join us TOMORROW, Friday, March 21st at 4:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM PT, for a live conversation on Instagram with Alvaro Bedoya, one of two democratic commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), who Trump attempted to fire earlier this week. This is part of The Download, our live series where we provide breaking news analysis on the latest Big Media and Tech issues against our communities.

The FTC is an independent federal agency with Senate-confirmed FTC Commissioners, who hold corporations accountable by setting rules, investigating when needed, and suing shady business practices. There's no precedent for a president "firing" a commissioner as this is outside of the president’s authority.

That’s why this move is part of a larger corporate coup of the federal government by the Tech Broligarchy, aimed at optimizing corporate profit and eliminating resistance to Trump. This represents new ground in which the executive branch is aiming to dismantle federal accountability mechanisms and expand its powers.